Liam Payne's bereaved girlfriend Kate Cassidy says she was 'meant to meet' the tragic star after falling in love with him as a 10-year old One Direction fan
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Liam Payne's bereaved girlfriend says she fell in love with the tragic star as a child after becoming a fan of his former band, One Direction.
The singer fell to his death from a third floor balcony following a drink and drug binge while staying at the upscale CasaSur hotel in Palermo on October 16, prompting a lengthy investigation into his movements and the actions of hotel employees during his final hours.
Payne's American girlfriend Kate Cassidy had originally accompanied him to Argentina, ostensibly to watch his touring former bandmate Niall Horan perform at Buenos Aires venue Movistar Arena.
But the influencer had boarded a flight back to her Florida home little more than 24-hours before his death, aged just 31.
Reflecting on their relationship with The Sun, Cassidy, 25, admits she had a soft spot for the singer long before they met and embarked on a relationship that would see her accompany him on lavish trips across the world.
She said: 'Liam was my childhood crush. I have loved him since I was ten. I think we were meant to meet.
Liam Payne 's bereaved girlfriend says she fell in love with the tragic star as a child after becoming a fan of his former band, One Direction
The singer shot to fame in 2010 on The X Factor with former bandmates Niall Horan , Zayn Malik , Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson , despite initially auditioning separately.
'Growing up, I had posters on walls. I think I had a One Direction one but I don’t know if I had his solo poster. But I did have him at some point on my wall.
'He was genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. I didn’t care about the other stuff. Our relationship was full of love and laughter and light.'
Cassidy originally met the singer in 2022 - six years after One Direction broke up - during a night out at a bar in Charleston, South Carolina.
After swapping numbers they went bowling on their first date, but the influencer insists she didn't think it would blossom into a relationship.
She recalled: 'I was definitely kind of starstruck but mainly I was thinking about the connection we had.
'We lived on different sides of the world. It didn’t occur to me we might end up dating.'
Payne's medical cause of death has now been announced to be 'polytrauma', a term which means a person has multiple traumatic injuries to their body.
Five people have been charged over his death in Argentina after he fell from a third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Hotel.
Cassidy is pictured attending late boyfriend Payne's funeral in Amersham on November 20
'He was genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. I didn’t care about the other stuff. Our relationship was full of love and laughter and light'
The hotel's manager, a receptionist and a friend of Payne have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office previously said in a statement.
They are reported to be hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and Payne's friend Roger Nores. Two other people have been charged over the supply of drugs.
But due to the ongoing investigation, Cassidy could not divulge too much information and did not confirm whether or not she had spoken to Roger.
She insisted, however, that when she left Argentina, Payne was in 'such a good headspace' and the couple were more in love than ever.
Cassidy has dismissed cruel accusations that she abandoned the singer before his death, revealing that she had only returned to their Florida home to look after their rescue dog, Nala.
Payne's American girlfriend Kate Cassidy had originally accompanied him to Argentina, ostensibly to watch his touring former bandmate Niall Horan perform in Buenos Aires
She was home when she received the call telling her Payne had died.
She said it felt like a 'blackout moment', struggling to believe the news at first. She even tried calling his phone - and it still rang.
The content creator admitted she felt blessed that she did not receive the harrowing news via social media.
Instead she had been in the comfort of their home with their beloved dog before one of Liam's friends called her.
She then contacted her boyfriend's family and her mother caught the first flight out to visit her grieving daughter as she attempted to process the devastating news.
She later realised that her last text to Payne had been completely ordinary: "I can't wait for you to get home and see the house." She had spent time decorating for Halloween, excited to show him.
The influencer had boarded a flight back to her Florida home so she could take care of their rescue dog, little more than 24-hours before his death, aged just 31
Payne's devastated fans embrace one another outside the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires following his tragic death last October
Three days after his death, a worker she had hired to fix the decorations messaged, asking if Payne had liked the Halloween surprise.
That was the moment, she said, when it finally sank in that he was never coming home.
Payne had spoken openly about his mental health struggles and past battles with addiction. He had tried both therapy and rehab.
On the night of his death, his hotel room was littered with drug paraphernalia and an opened champagne bottle.
Cassidy said his relapse seemed to come 'out of nowhere', and she had never imagined he was in such a fragile state.
Still grieving, she has been seeing a grief therapist and struggles to listen to Liam's music.
'Maybe one day,' she said, 'but not right now.'
